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HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News-Record, 1977-12-08, Page 1And I'll have.... a Santa Claus is provingpopular attraction at the Santa Centre in the Town Hall P P every weekend as hundreds of kids line up to give him their last minute gift suggestions. The Centre was decorated by the Marketing 400 students at Central Huron Secondary School. (News -Record photo) • 0 Three �a Susie, Sam and Bing are 'dead. The three were family pets of Bayfield residents and were.poisoned. The dog poisonings have been oc- curring in one area of Bayfield, the southeast corner and have been hap- pefiing since the first of July. The Jack Leppington's family pet; Bing, a„ Blue Tick Hound, was the first confirmed poisoning. Mrs. Leppington explained that the incident occurred in July while the family was away. They returned home to find that Bing was extremely ill. He was taken to the veterinarian clinic in Zurich, but died two days later. An autoposy showed that Bing had died of poisoning, . but Mrs. Leppington said, "They couldn't pinpoint the poison since- it inceit had deteriorated his brain and stomach. "We .have no idea who did it or why it was done, but it was a very sad homecoming," she explained. She also noted that Bing had a pen and stayed around home. Around the first of October, Joe Clinton, Ontario field dogs poisoned lately Brandon's Beagle, Susie disappeared and has not been found yet. "She wasn't usually tied, but ,she pretty well stayed at Name," Brandon explained, "►►+ '"^r►,1ht she had Kinsmen receive Wintario cheque The Town of Clinton and the Kinsmen Club received more gopod news about their grandstand on Wednesday morning when a cheque for $55,991.63 arrived in the mail from Wintario. The grant will be used to pay for part of the new $250,000 grandstand built by the Kinsmen last spring. Earlier this fall, the Kinsmen received over $30,000 from the Ontario Racing Commission, and now await a cheque for $62,000 grant under the Community Centre Act. The rest of the $93,000 debt will be .trried by the Kinsmen, at no cost to the taxpayers. gone to die, because she was old but it was too much of a,coincidence after 'the Leppington poisonieng." The Brandons live very close to the Leppingtons. Brandon said that, he checked with the London pound and they had not found his dog. "She was very friendly and well known around the village. It's a heck of a way of doing anything," he explained about the poisoning. "If I ever catch up with the person, I will get him legally," warned Warner Payne, whose Collie, Sam was killed about a month ago. "The vet told me he was sure it was' poison," he continued. The Paynes live about a block behind the Leppingtons and Payne said Sam was well known around the neigh- bourhood. "The dog was a friend of every kid in town. He was a friendly clown and not at all vicious," Payne noted. Sam would accompany the Payne's son around the village when he cut grass and would wait for him every day when he returned from school. "The dogs were supposed to be tied, but everybody breaks the rule oc- casionally. Nobody has the right to poison them though," he added. "Every fall we get a rash of everybody tying their dogs up, but all summer they run loose," he noted, "there's not much use' having another dog if there's a maniac like that around." Dr. Doug Thell of the Zurich Veterinarian Clinic said when the two dogs were brought in they were both in terminal condition and in a comatose state. They were . suffering from discomfort, inflammation of the in- testines and stomach along with vomitting and diarrhea. "It's sort of a miserable business," he said, "one wonders if children could come into contact with the same poison." Dr. Theil noted that this would be unlikely but he said it would have been interesting to know what the poison was. 30 cents Thursday, December 8, 1977 ll2th Year -No. 49 Weather 1977 1976 NI LO HI LO NOVEMBER. 29 30 11 30 36 18.' 17 30 DECEMBER 1 52 35 26 13 2 37 32 - 24 5 3 ' 35 28 14 5 4 29 17 25 13 5 27 19 26 17 Snow 21/2" Snow 1 2 ' ' Rain .56 I8 12 Elementary teachers sign contract -The Huron County Board of Education and its elementary school teachers agreed to terms of a 1977-78 contract for the teachers Tuesday night when the teachers voted to accept the latest board offer. John _Cochrane, director of 'education, said Wednesday that the teachers had agreed to a 5.12 percent increase and that the controversial pupil -teacher ratio had been dropped from the contract. Cochrane said • that' the new pact brings the average earnings of the -380 elementary school teachers in the county to $17,448. He said there are 380 teachers working in Huron county's elementary schools but that some are part time. He said ,the full time equivalent of the teachers makes the total full time staff 362.5. R. J. Elliott, Blyth school board trustee and chairman of the board's elementary school teacher negotiating committee, announced Monday that the board had ratified the teacher agreement and that the teachers had to vote ---on acceptance of the contract Tuesday night. He 'said the contract PUC ups hydro 5% Electric power users in Clinton will have to pay five percent more for their electricity beginning the first of next year, the Clinton Public Utilities an- , nounced last week, but unless a miracle happens, power rates could jump nearly 30 percent in January of 1979. Guss Boussey, manager .of the PUC, said that Ontario Hydro had increased their bulk power rates to Utilities 9.8 percent, but the Anti -Inflation Board ordered a rebate and. due to favorable economic conditions and excellent ex- port sales, Ontario Hydro will pass a 7.2 percent rebate along to Clinton and thus the rate will only increase five percent. In other business, the PUC' wants the town to gettough on property owners Well for a change, the Clinton area has escaped the blizzard that seems like a tradition around here. Areas to the south, however, have received, up to presstime on Wednesday afternoon, up 4111Vto three feet of the fluffy, white stuff. And although we hate to say it, I don't feel one bit sorry for them. Last winter when we were snowed in for what seemed like two months, under 13 feet (the old system sounds better), friends, relatives, and peers in the London area would merely laugh at our claims that we were snowed under. Ah, how the worm turns! Several businessmen are hoping in town, however, that the snow will stay away this Saturday afternoon, as they w stage a mini Santa Claus parade through the downtown area. If you have an entry, contact ,Bryan Williams at Buffy's Burgers, or the C & E Variety. +++ Several weeks ago after the stork brought new arrivals to yours truly's house and to Seaforth Expositor Susan White's home, we made a crack about Bill Batten, editor of the Exeter Times - Advocate saying: "crow let's see what you can do, Batten." "Well," said Batten in last weeps T -A, • "for Mr. Fitzgerald's edification, atten has already proven what he can do, and until such time as he and Mrs. White catch up, we shall be quite prepared to rest on our laurels." We apologize to you Bill, your wife and your four boys. 1 + 1 4 - The The Clinton firemen, reports volunteer Al Finch, have pladed their canisters around town to collect funds for the Muscular Dystrophy Fund and would appreciate shoppers dropping in any loose Change. dumping roof water, storm water, or surface run-off in the sanitary sewers, as it is overloading the sewage treatment plant during heavy rains or thaws. According to a by-law passed in 1950, the PUC can shut off a property owner's water supply if it finds storm water running into the sanitary drains. A ' new enlarged $1 million sewage treatment plant was built in 1972 to try and handle the excess water, but the PUC is still experiencing problems. "The old plant easily handled all the sewage except during heavy run-offs," ,Boussey said. negotiations, which had bogged downfin October and had .,been turned over to a mediator, had been completed by Monday and that the teachers' vote to accept the ratification would settle the issue. The negotiations broke ,down due to differences arising from basic pay rates for teachers and the pupil -teacher ratio. The settlement removed the pupil - teacher ratio from contract talks and turns it over to director John Cochrane who has been given the 'authority to determine the ratio in -the future. _A..'_ committee consisting of Cochrane, three teachers and three board members will' determine the ratio in the future'. Cochrane said the pad rates are established in seven categories depending on the teacher's qualifications and experience. He said four of the categories involve teachers with degrees and the remainder teachers with no degree. Hospital. appoints member, director At the regular monthly meeting of the hospital board on November 21, 1977, William Hearn was appointed to the hospital Board to complete the remainder of the term of the late Mr. J. Murphy. Mr. Murphy had served on the Board for many years. The hgspital board appointed Mrs„ Jean Cox, Reg. N. Director of Nursing, effective January 1, 1978. This position has been filled by the administrator serving in the capacity as both Administrator and Director of Nursing. The new rate for category D teachers, the lowest category, is from $9,840 to $13,140 after six years experience. Category C ranges from $10,415 to $15,365 after nine years. Category B is from • $10,990 to $18,490 after 1,0 years. Category A-1, teachers holding degrees, is from $12,040 to $19,540 after 10 years. Category A-2 is from $12,59010 421,090 after 10 years. Category A-3 is from $14,170 to $23,670 after 10 years and Category A-4 is from $14,290 to $25,040 after 10 years. The -rate -of pay for vice-prin-c-i-pa-is--is. "the same as teachers except they receive an extra allowance for holding the ' position. Principals are paid at a higher rate and are also defined by category depending on qualification and experience. Principals in Category D are paid between $13,200 and $15,200 after two years' experience. Category C Turn to page 3. Local girls on Tommy Hunter Show Three Huron County' girls, who form the "Three Black Magics" step dancing group, will be appearing on the Tommy Hunter television show sometine January. The, three girls, Pat Stackhouse, 14, of Londesboro; Kim Craig, 14, of Blyth; and Becky McKinley, 10 of Zurich, went down to Toronto to the CBC studios last Saturday to tape the show. The gi'rls had been selected for the show after a talent scout had soptted them at the Canadian Open Step Dan- cing championships in Dundalk last June. "The Magics" had won the Group Step Dancing Championship at the com- petition. , Pat told the News -Record on Tuesday that the taping was "a lot of fun." They will appear in the openingbnumber, with the whole cast, and then will be featured in their own number. Kim and Pat took lessons together for several years, and then Pat met Becky when she taught her lessons. About 18 months ago, the three girls formed the "Three Black Magics":, Pat, who attends Central Huron Secondary School, is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs, Vic Stackhouse of Londesboro; Kim, who attends F.E. Madill Secondary School in Wingham, is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Bodie Craig of Blyth; and Becky, who attends Huron Centennial Public School, is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Vern McKipley of the Zurich. area. Gas war starts A gas war started in Clinton last week, with some. gas stations lowering the price of all brands by up to three cents a gallon. Now regular gas in town is listed as low as 81.9 cents, the lowest in the area. No one wants to discuss the situation, as many pumpers are operating at a loss. (News -Record photo) Tuckersmith bridges below new standards By Wilma Oke Tuckersmith Township Council has learned that three of its 15 bridges do not meet the new standards set by the government earlier this year. A report presented to council Tuesday night by the. engineering firm of B.M. Ross & Associates Ltd, Goderich, stated that the bridges located at Lot 9, con- cession 12; Lot 22, concession 4-5; and ,r. Sorrnyweek' Visibility was next to nil during 'a raging snowstorm that struck this part of Ontario, dumping eight inches of snow in the immediate Clinton area. However areas south of Clinton, particularly London have received up td three feet so far this week. (News -Record photo) Lot- 20-21, concession 4, have critical week due to increased pickups. He now deficiencies and need to be replaced. has about 240 pickups and any additional The report stated that two bridges pickups over 240 will be at an additional require spot improvements --one located rate of 63 cents. He will receive $6 on Concession 10 has to have the footings weekly for pickup at the Vanastra repaired and the other on the Vanastra recreational centre. perimeter road requires waterproofing Council expressed concern about of the deck. numerous overdue water bills at Vanastra and will be taking action on The ministry of transportation and collecting them. It is reviewing new communications established the scan- rates for 1978. dards for the studies made on' the Requests for building permits were bridges and will pay for the engineering approved for Roger Hoornaert, RR 2, costs of the ,surveys ordered to deter- P Ki en, pig barn; John Branderhorst, mine the safety of bridges in all RR 1, Hensall, house alteration; and municipalities throughout the province. Douglas Morgan, Clinton, for two mobile Council authorized road superin- homes on part lot 45, concession 2, tendent . Allan Nicholson to contact the London Road Survey. ministry office in` Stratford for Passed for payment were accounts as clarification on the road load for the follows: Vanastra Day Care Centre, three bridges until such a tithe as they $3,618.73; Vanastra Recreation Centre, will be replaced. $8,309.15; roads, $11,432,11 general Mr. Nicholson reported that a number acc unts, $149,679.09 for a total of of road signs throughout `the township • $1738039.08. were stolen or damaged over the Council had two applications in weekend. response to the ad for animal control Council will rent an almost new grader P - D760 Champion --from the sales office at officer for the township and the two Brampton of Champion Road Machinery women who applied will be interviewed Limited of Goderich for four months for at the next council meeting. snowplowing. Alfred Ross of Staffa has • . Council accepted the tender of William been hired to operate the grader and will Brown for $100 to cleanup the numerous store it in his shed when not in use. wrecked cars littering the Leo Medd - Miss Deborah Denomme of Zurich was .property in Harpurhey as the result of hired as a teacher at the Vanastra Day failure on the part of Medd to do the job Care Centre to replace Pat Semple, who inspite of repeated warnings. resigned last month to- move to London. Council endorsed the Sandwich Miss Denoinme will receive a yearly Township West resolution calling for salary of $7,600 for the remainder of this conviction ,of vehicle owners for vehicles month and for 1978 will receive $8,000. illegally passing school buses, by Karen McEwing, director of the Day reporting the vehicle licence number Care Centre, said that 15 children are only. Atane presentdrivthe identified. number must be attending the centre. given Council renewed its agreement with garbage collection at Vanastra. He will Council agreed with the proposal of the G.R. Chamney of RR ! Auburn, for County of Huron permitting residency on a county wide basis in any senior citizens receive $150 per week, up from $121 per housing unit in the county.